


You're poison

by Block9



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ancient Rome, F/F, Killer Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2020-10-26 09:50:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20740262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Block9/pseuds/Block9
Summary: AU set in Ancient Rome. Villanelle is a soldier and a professional assassin. Eve is...a mess.Romance.Murder. Intrigue. Bathrooms





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by 2x08 and the color red

** _Mamertine Prison, Capitoline Hill, Rome_ **

A woman is being dragged by the guards through underground tunnels of the Mamertine Prison. She is trying to resist their grip which only makes the matter worse. And her curse words aren’t helping either. The guards have had enough, so they push her into a nearest unoccupied cell.  
  
-‘’You will be here until they find a buyer for you. It shouldn’t take long. There are a lot of perverts who are into Orientals’’

And with that they leave Eve in a small cell guarded by bars. There’s a small window on one of the walls. She’s underground so she can only see other people’s feet. And rats. Lots of rats.  
  
-‘’Shithole’’ is the only thing she has to say about this place.  
  
The cell has a horrible smell, the bed is wet for some reason and she has to listen to torture that is happening somewhere nearby.  
  
She sits on the floor and runs fingers through her hair. She can’t remember the last time she washed it. Her clothes have an odor at this point. She spent a week in that horrible prison in Ostia, without having access to clean water. She just wants to have a bath and a change of clothes. And maybe a nice meal. And a bed that isn’t wet.  
  
-“Fucking shithole’’ she repeats. Then she realizes she needs an escape plan. She gets up on her feet and starts pacing around the cell. Left hand on her hip, right hand on her forehead. It’s her thinking pose. It’s what she does when she needs to get out of trouble. Which happens a lot lately.  
  
She likes to think of herself as a strong woman who acts rational in moments of crisis. In reality, she does the opposite.  
  
So she takes off her sandal and starts hitting the cell bars with it.  
  
-“Hey! Come back! Get me out of this shithole! Because I will rather kill myself then go with some pervert!”  
  
She keeps slapping around the sandal with a frantic look on her face.  
  
Soon, there is a man near her cell. She can’t see him well because it’s dark, but she can say that he is a very tall, large man.  
  
-“I hear we have a prisoner from far far away”

  
He approaches the cell. There is something very calming about this man. Eve feels it. She drops the sandal.  
  
He’s standing there looking at her. Observing her, like he’s trying to calculate her value as a human.  
  
She’s never seen a Roman soldier with a beard before.  
  
-“Who are you?’’ Eve asks with a cracking voice. She’s visibly on the edge of her nerves.  
  
-“My name is Constantine’’ He speaks slowly. Like he has all the time in this world.  
  
-“Are you a soldier?’’Eve asks even when the answer is obvious. It’s the panic talking.  
  
-“You can say that. A very special kind of soldier’’ There’s a small smile on his face, like there’s a double meaning to his words.

-“What do you want from me?” Eve leans in and grabs the bars. She sounds defeated. Like she just wants to get this over with.  
  
-“I hear you are good with herbs, right? Like the ones you use as medicine?” Constantine looks at Eve, waiting for confirmation.  
  
-“Uhm…yes. I transport spices and herbs from the Far East”. Eve is a bit calmer because there is finally a Roman who is actually talking to her and not just trying to sell her.  
  
-“And how did you end up in here?” Constantine pretends he doesn’t know the answer.

-“I…I slapped a Roman magistrate at a market. He offered me money to sleep with him, when I declined he pushed me against the wall and pulled my skirt up. So I punched him. And now I’m in prison, waiting to be sold to some pervert with a fetish for Oriental chicks.”  
  
Constantine smiles. He likes this feisty woman.

-“If I promise to get you out of here, would you help me with something?” His eyebrows signal that ‘something’ is not very legal.  
  
-“I’m listening”. Eve is suspicious, but on the other hand, she would do anything to get out. Even if it means breaking the law.  
  
-“I need you to make a potion. It’s for a friend. He is very sick” He doesn’t even try to pretend that’s true.  
  
  
-“What kind of potion?” Eve doesn’t understand.  
  
-“Something for the pain. Something that would make him sleep. A lot. And maybe never wake up” He crosses his hands, waiting for a reply. He observes her, but this time with a very serious look. This man does not play around.  
  
-“You want me to poison someone?” Eve speaks slowly because she can’t understand he actually offered her that.

-“No, I said medicine, I don’t want to kill anyone. Just sleep. Permanently” He makes an innocent face, like what he said makes perfect sense.  
  
-“Are you crazy? They will kill me if they found out my potion killed someone!’’ She whispers and shouts at the same time.  
  
Constantine looks at her for a while and then says “Alright. Have fun with perverts”. He turns and heads back down the hall.  
  
Eve has five seconds to think. She panics. On one hand, she doesn’t want to kill another human being. But on the other, she doesn’t want to be a sex slave. So she makes a decision.  
  
-“Wait. I’ll do it. But after that I’m free, right?” Her voice is cracking.  
  
Constantine stops and answers without turning. “Yes. You do this one little thing for me and you’re free. One of my soldiers will come pick you up” And then he is gone.  
  
Eve is left alone with her thoughts. What the hell just happened? What did she agree to? She’s in shock. She lies on her wet bed in a fetus position and closes her eyes. This isn’t happening.  
She can’t kill a man. It’s wrong. She’s not a murderer. She feels sick, like she’s about to throw up. The room is spinning. Eve is already in hell and she didn’t even do anything. Yet.  
  
A voice snaps her out of it. A female voice.  
  
-“You have amazing hair”  
  
Eve opens her eyes. There is a beautiful dark-blonde woman looking at her from the other side of the bars. She is dressed like a Roman soldier. And she has a very intense gaze. Eve never had a woman look at her like that before. It’s strange.  
  
“I am here to take you to Constantine. My name is Villanelle”

  
  
  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
**Campus Martius, Rome**  
  
It’s the middle of the afternoon and the streets are full of people. The sun is shining really hard today so everyone is trying to get to their destination as soon as possible. Villanelle is moving fast through the crowded squares packed with merchants and Eve can barely keep up with her.  
  
-“Hey! Slow down. I know you’re in the army and all but you don’t have to march like that”

Villanelle hears Eve’s voice behind her and suddenly stops, like she finally remembers she’s not alone.  
  
-“I’m sorry. I’m just not used to civilians slowing me down” She sounds overly arrogant.  
  
Eve has had it. Like it’s not enough that she’s sweating in the God damn Roman sun wearing rags that stink now she has to run to catch up with this asshole.  
  
-“Listen,_ Villanelle. _I didn’t ask to be here. I didn’t want any of this”. Eve is up in her face, looking her straight in the eyes, trying to stand up for herself. The height difference between them is making it a bit comical. “I spent the last seven days in _prison_, for not allowing a creep to violate me. And now I’m being taken who knows where, to do something horrifyingly wrong. So at least slow the fuck down so I don’t faint from hyperthermia”. Her face is inches away from Villanelle’s. The younger woman actually steps back in surprise.  
  
-“Wow, Eve. I didn’t know you had it in you” Villanelle gives her a flirtatious look. She is impressed.  
  
Eve backs down breathing heavily, trying to calm herself.  
  
-“I will walk slowly from now on, I promise” Villanelle puts her hands up like she’s giving up. With a very smug look on her face.  
  
They are now walking side by side.

-“Is it really true that you assaulted a magistrate?”  
-“Yes”  
-“How did it feel?”  
-“Awesome”  
  
They both smile. Villanelle suddenly notices a small fountain in a shade of an old olive tree. She takes Eve’s hand and guides her there. She also manages to steal some grapes from a market stand.  
  
They sit on the edge of the fountain enjoying water and the cool air. Villanelle eats the grapes hungrily and offers some to Eve. Then she starts playing with the coins on the bottom of the fountain.  
  
She’s actually like a child, Eve notices. An overly confident, highly intelligent, restless child.  
  
-“So how did you end up in Rome anyway?” Villanelle is the first to speak. Sounds like she’s been thinking about Eve for the past couple of minutes.  
  
-“I’m in trade. I work with expensive spices and herbs. I’m also into medicine a bit since my parents were doctors. I used to travel with them as a child so I learned Latin. When I grew up I wanted to continue traveling. So I started trading, between Europe and the Far East. Been doing it for years. Until now” Eve surprised herself with how easily she opened up to this complete stranger.

-“Isn’t that a bit unusual career for a woman?”  
-“You’re a female soldier, how bout that for unusual. How did they accept you in the army anyway?”  
-“I have special skills”  
-“What kind of skills?”  
-“You’ll see. Let’s go now. We’re gonna be late.”  
  
Villanelle picks up a handful of coins from the fountain and puts them in her bag. Then she steals some more grapes and flips a sleeping cat from a wall onto a small child.  
  
Eve is looking at her like she lost her mind. But she has to admire her carefree attitude towards life.  
  
When they walk past the Baths of Agrippa Villanelle stops and thinks for a moment and then grabs Eve’s hand again.  
  
-“You look like you need a bath”  
  
Eve follows because yes, she does need a bath.  
  
\----------------------------------------------------------  
  
Thermae Agrippae are beautiful. Like a royal palace on water. Eve is in awe. And Villanelle seems like she’s there very often.  
  
They walk around the complex because Eve insists on seeing the fine mosaics around the outside pool. But Villanelle is bored and just wants to get into the water already.  
  
-“Come on, I booked us a private bath”  
-“How? Isn’t that stuff like really expensive?”  
-“Don’t worry, I have money. Lots of it”  
-“The army really pays that well?”  
-“I told you, I have special skills”  
  
There’s that smugness again on Villanelle’s face that Eve finds so amusing and annoying at the same time.  
  
-“Come”  
  
Villanelle leads them into a room beautifully decorated with wall paintings and sculptures and exotic greenery. The bath is huge and the water is so inviting. Eve is overwhelmed.  
  
-“You like it”?  
-“Yeah…It’s breathtaking”  
-“Good”  
  
Villanelle starts striping by taking off her armor. Then her sandals. Then the red short tunic. In less than ten seconds she’s completely naked.  
  
Eve can’t help but look at her. It’s like looking at a live statue. Except Villanelle is more perfect than a statue. Because her body radiates confidence. And strength. And warmth. A perfect combination of feminine curves and lean muscles.   
  
Eve can’t look away. She’s confused and she’s blushing. Why is this happening? She’s seen many naked women in her life, but she never found herself admiring one. Note like this.  
  
Villanelle enters the pool, like Cleopatra probably would. She’s so consumed in herself. Worshiping her own body.  
  
-“Are you coming?” Villanelle looks at Eve with a piercing stare that makes her week in the knees.  
  
What is happening?  
  
Eve just stands there, frozen, cheeks blushed, trying to come up with a response.  
  
Villanelle keeps staring at her.  
  
-“Do you need a hand undressing?”  
  
She is now on the move, leaving the pool and approaching Eve. She stands right in front of her, water dripping from her naked body. She starts undressing Eve, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.  
  
Eve stands there, confused and slightly paralyzed. Villanelle striped her very quickly. And now they’re naked, two feet from each other and it feels weird for some reason.  
  
Villanelle takes her hand, for the third time today and brings her into the pool. Eve immediately feels better. It’s like water is melting away all of her problems. She doesn’t want to leave this beautiful elegant pool ever again. So she closes her eyes and pretends the outside world doesn’t exist.  
  
Villanelle is watching her. Watching her relax and enjoy herself, for the first time today. She’s even smiling.  
-“You have a beautiful smile”  
  
Eve hears Villanelle’s dreamy voice but doesn’t open her eyes. Not yet. She wants this moment of peace to last. Now she hears splashes. Villanelle is swimming. After a while the splashes stop.  
  
-“Why don’t you swim? The water is perfect today” Eve is startled because Villanelle is suddenly right next to her. She opens her eyes and there she is. Hair wet, looking at her with those big green eyes.  
  
-“I’m fine. I’m just gonna soak in the water”  
  
Villanelle stares again.  
  
-“You never told me, why did Constantine get you out of prison?” It’s like something finally switched in Villanelle’s head.  
  
-“He didn’t tell you?”  
-“No. He just told me to pick you up and get you to our headquarters because you’re gonna help us with something.”  
-“Well, something like that. He wants me to poison someone.”

  
Villanelle suddenly looks surprised. Then slightly aroused.

  
-“Do you know how to poison people?”  
-“Theoretically, yes. I know how to make a poison that can’t be traced.”  
-“Are you gonna do it?”  
-“I really don’t want to”  
-“Why not?”  
-“Because I’m not a murderer!”  
-“You don’t know that until you try”  
-“Wait, why did Constantine send _you _to get me? Are you in it too? Do you kill people?”  
-“Eve, I’m a soldier, of course I kill people”  
-“You know what I meant”

  
Villanelle takes a deep breath

  
-“Fine. Yes. I am a professional assassin. I kill people for money. And I’m very good at it”  
  
Villanelle is bragging with that fact and Eve suddenly feels cold. She leaves the pool and starts getting dressed.  
  
-“Eve, where are you going?” Villanelle looks like she’s genuinely surprised by Eve’s change of heart.  
  
-“You’re a fucking sociopath!”  
-“Hey! Never tell a sociopath they’re a sociopath. It makes them angry and then they want to kill someone!”  
  
Villanelle is quickly getting out of the pool as well. She looks mad. The sight of her naked body approaching is making Eve equally scared and turned on. Her brain is confused so she just stands there. Villanelle is also confused because people are usually afraid of her. But Eve isn’t.  
  
-“You’re coming with me”  
-“No, I’m not”  
-“Yes, you are”  
-“I’m not scared of you”  
-“Well you should be”  
-“_You_ need _me_”  
-“I don’t care, I will kill you anyway”.  
  
Second time that day, they are up in each other’s faces. But this time is slightly different because one of them is naked.  
  
And again, Villanelle steps back.  
  
-“Fine. I won’t kill you”  
  
She gets dressed as quickly as possible.  
  
-“But I am taking you with me”  
  
Suddenly there are chains in her hands and she is using them to tie herself to Eve.  
  
-“What are you doing, are you insane?”  
-“You’re mine now”  
  
She drags Eve furiously outside of the Baths of Agrippa and onto the streets again.  
  
Eve is resisting her, which makes Villanelle pull the chain even harder.  
-“Come on, why are you being so difficult?”  
-“Because I don’t want to become a killer like you”  
-“Oh really? Tell me something Eve. Those poisons you told me about. How do you know they work? Did you ever try them on someone? Hm?”  
  
Eve stops pulling the chain. Her face is white as a ghost.  
  
-“I…My parents had some patients who were on their death beds. I gave them poison but only to end their pain and suffering. They were gone anyway. But that’s euthanasia, not murder”.  
-“My targets also have their destinies sealed, because someone with a lot of money decided they need to die. I’m just doing the inevitable. “  
She takes a step forward so she can whisper to Eve.  
  
-“We are the same, you and I”  
  
Eve doesn’t respond this time, because she’s afraid Villanelle might be right.  
  
-“Now come on, we need to get to Esquiline Hill before dark.”

They walk in silence until they reach Constantine’s palace.  
  
-“Wow. Constantine is loaded. Does he also have _special_ skills?”  
  
-“No. He’s a senator”  
  



	2. Chapter 2

** _Esquiline Hill, Rome_ **

  
  
The sun starts to set once they reach Constantine’s palace. It’s a beautiful villa consisted of several smaller buildings and gardens. In the middle of the complex there is a majestic fountain with a statue of Mars in the middle, which perfectly reflects Constantine’s take on life.  
  
Villanelle and Eve are guided inside the complex by one of the servants.  
  
-“Senator Vasilius is still having a meeting with his business partners from Britannia. Would you like to wait for him in the garden?” Eve notices the servant is not very fond of Villanelle.  
  
Villanelle rolls her eyes and reaches for the large double winged door. She lets herself in and Eve follows.  
  
Inside, there is what can be described as a ‘Roman orgy’. Half naked women, rolling over middle aged drunken men who look extremely rich. The floor is covered with various foods, dozens of golden goblets full of red wine and opium pipes. In the corner of the room there is a naked man playing a flute.  
  
The laughter in the room is so loud no one heard the two women come in. Villanelle is annoyed because she doesn’t have time to waste, she’s here on business. And Eve is just standing there with her jaw dropped. What is this place?  
  
Finally, Constantine notices them. He has a naked woman on his lap.  
  
-“Eve! Welcome to my humble home. You are just in time. These are my business partners who initiated the project you will be working on” He is genuinely happy Eve is there.  
  
-“Please, have a seat, both of you”.  
  
Eve manages to find one empty chair that is not occupied by prostitutes.  
  
Villanelle sits on an ottoman between two very attractive young women. One is blond and the other is brunette. They caress Villanelle while kissing her neck. She puts her hands on their naked thighs and concentrates on what Constantine is saying about the new prices of coal.  
Eve watches in shock. Why are those women touching her? And why does it feel good to watch them do that?  
  
-“Eve, you are crucial in this operation. You will be working close with Villanelle to find a solution to our problem”. He makes killing people sound like business assignment.  
  
Eve doesn’t know what to say. She looks over to Villanelle, who is now kissing the brunette on the lips.  
  
Eve’s chest is burning.  
  
-“I need some air”  
  
She’s practically running until she reaches one of the gardens.  
  
What did she get herself into? Those people are criminals. And they want to make her one as well. But more importantly, why was Villanelle kissing that woman?  
  
-“Are you scared” She hears Villanelle’s voice behind her.  
  
Eve turns around. Villanelle has that look again. Like she can see right through Eve.

  
-“I don’t know what I am anymore. I feel like this is a bad dream and I just want to wake up” Eve’s voice is cracking and she looks so tired.  
  
-“Tell me, did you have an interesting life before this?” Villanelle is slowly circling Eve, like a shark. “Did you like your job? Did you…have fun?”

  
Eve doesn’t like these questions because she is afraid of the answers. And she hates how Villanelle can read her so well.  
  
-“I had a good job. I traveled a lot. I used to go to the theater. Sometimes” That sounded pathetic even to Eve.  
  
-“Did you have someone in your life?”  
  
Oh my god, she completely forgot about Nicolas. They had a huge fight two weeks ago and then she got arrested. He probably doesn’t even know she was in prison.  
  
-“As a matter of fact, I have a boyfriend. He’s a maths teacher. We might get married someday” She forgot to mention that she refused his marital proposal on four different occasions.  
  
-“And does he know you like to play doctor?” Villanelle manages to annoy the hell out of Eve.  
  
That’s it. She’s not letting her win.  
  
-“Let’s go inside. I’m thirsty” Finally there is some confidence in her. She brushes Villanelle’s shoulder on her way in.  
  
Eve’s back at the ‘business meeting’. She drinks, she laughs. She tells jokes with her future ‘business partners’. They offer her opium. She takes it. So what if her life is falling apart. She might as well enjoy the fall.  
The music is so good, she wants to dance all night. There’s a man dressed as a woman dancing with her. Everything is magical. The room is spinning and she is spinning with it.  
  
Villanelle is watching her. She doesn’t care for the blond and the brunette anymore. She’s fascinated by Eve. Can’t take eyes off of her. And the hair. My god, the hair.

  
  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Eve is woken up by the sun streams creeping through the thick rotten cherry curtains. Where is she and whose bed is this?  
  
It takes a few seconds for her to realize that she’s not alone in the bed. To her left, there is that bold guy from last night, the imperial judge who happens to love dressing up as a woman. And to her right there is that brunette from last night, the one that was kissing Villanelle.  
Eve can’t remember how she ended up in here. It must be the opium.  
She somehow manages to crawl out of the bed while the other two are still sleeping. She can’t find her clothes so she rolls herself up in a sheet and heads out.  
  
She has no idea where to go, Constantine’s house is huge. After wondering through the hallways for a while she ends up in a large open plan kitchen.  
Constantine is whisking eggs while talking and laughing with a tall woman with short hair. There’s also a young man sitting at the kitchen table, being uncomfortable and bored to death. And of course there is Villanelle, who is the first one to greet her.  
  
-“Good morning sunshine”  
  
They all shift their attention to Eve, who is standing barefoot in the kitchen, clutching the bed sheet so it doesn’t fall down. Her hair is a mess, like someone did something to it last night.  
  
-“Good Morning” Her voice is gone from all that singing last night.  
  
-“Good morning Eve. I’m glad you could join us” Constantine is in a good mood. “Let me introduce you to my friends. This is Caroline, member of the Imperial Consilium and one of the Emperor’s most valuable advisers”  
The tall woman approaches Eve. She is dressed in a white tunic with red and golden ornaments. Her earrings must cost a fortune. She has the eyes of a hawk. Eve can just tell that this woman always sees all and knows all. She should be careful around her.  
  
-“Hello Eve. I’ve heard so much about you” Her voice is flat and authoritative at the same time.  
  
Eve has been in Rome less than two days and these people already know things about her. Something feels odd.  
  
The young man gets up from his chair with a creak and offers his hand to Eve in an awkward manner. He seems genuinely clumsy.  
  
-“My name is Cináed. But you can call me Kenny.” Eve shakes his hand and almost drops the bed sheet because of it. Villanelle lets out a silent sigh.  
  
-“What kind of name is that?” Eve is still hangover so she asks a very indiscreet question.

-“It’s Gaelic. My father…he was from the province of Britannia” Eve can tell that’s a difficult subject for him.

-“Right. Let’s have something to eat and then we can get to business”.  
  
While Constantine prepares the omelets and talks to Caroline about his newest race horse Villanelle takes the opportunity to talk to Eve.  
  
-“You were pretty wild last night. I must say I’m impressed” She almost whispers because she doesn’t want the others to hear.

Eve whispers back “What did I do last night?”

-“You were extremely high on opium. You made everybody dance with you. Then you took me and Julia to one of the rooms”  
-“Who is Julia?” Eve raises her voice because she has no idea what Villanelle is saying.  
-“The girl with the brown hair. You made us kiss. And then you watched”.  
  
Eve covers her face with her hand. It’s all coming back to her now.  
  
-“Oh my God, I..I have no idea why I did that”  
-“You seemed to enjoy it” The sand in Villanelle’s voice sends shivers down Eve’s spine.  
-“But wait, how did the judge end up in the room? And why was I naked?”  
-“You were naked because we went for a swim. You said you have a thing for bathrooms. And the judge joined us because he wanted ‘us girls to have fun without the men’”.

-“So I didn’t sleep with anyone last night?”  
-“No, you fell asleep like a log”  
-“Oh thank God”  
  
But Eve is not completely relieved. Why did she want to watch Villanelle kiss that girl? She’s never trying opium again definitely.  
  
Luckily the breakfast is finally ready because Eve is starving. So she eats like she hasn’t eaten in ages.  
  
-“Eve, tell me about yourself” Caroline interrupts Eve’s meal, just when she’s about to dig into bacon.  
  
-“Uhm, I’m from the Three Kingdoms of Korea. I trade spices and medicinal herbs to Europe” She decides that’s enough information and takes a slice of bacon.

-“You know your way around medicine then” Caroline obviously knows more then she pretends to.  
-“My parents were doctors so I know about the human body and how to heal it with medicine”  
-“Then I guess you also know how to…harm it?”

The bacon is stuck in Eve’s throat. She coughs so hard there are tears in her eyes and stops only when Villanelle passes her a large cup of water.  
  
-“Khm..I apologize. I’m sorry Caroline, what was your question?”  
-“I think you just answered it. Right, let’s get to business shall we. Eve, we have a very delicate situation on our hands and we would like you to help us. Because you see, you have a special set of skills that we desperately need. It is a matter of national security” Caroline is so serious Eve finally stops eating.  
  
-“I see. And how could I be of assistance?”Eve’s voice is shaky because she’s perfectly aware of why she’s at this breakfast table.  
  
-“There is a man, a very bad man, doing some bad thing in the province of Britannia. And his actions are endangering not only our economic welfare, but also our western borders. We need to find a way to stop him. Now usually Villanelle is the one taking care of such…problems, but unfortunately in this case the usual procedures just don’t work. And that is where you come in”

-“What do you want me to do?” Eve’s throat is dry.  
  
-“Villanelle, would you please explain the details to Eve”  
  
-“The man is called Raimundus. He’s an evil redheaded midget. Usually I would chop him up with an axe, but he has 20 soldiers guarding him at all times. That’s why the only option is poison. We tried the traditional stuff but it didn’t work. We need something undetectable.”  
-“Wait, what do you mean guarded by soldiers? Is he a magistrate too?”  
  
Caroline and Constantine exchange looks.  
  
-“He’s a magistrate who’s gone rogue. He was supposed the govern the province but instead he created an organization called the Twelve who is now disrupting the Roman authority not only in Britannia but in Gallia as well. It has been reported that he’s bribing commanders to join his little organization, with the ultimate plan of overthrowing the Emperor. Now you see why he needs to be stopped”  
  
-“Plus he’s super annoying and his fashion choices are tragic so he deserves to die” Villanelle offers additional input.  
  
Eve is conflicted. On one hand, she doesn’t want to kill another human being, but on the other hand, it does sound like a matter of national security.  
  
-“And what if I refuse to do it?”  
  
-“Well, I guess you will be auctioned and sold within 48 hours. We can transport you to the slave market immediately” Caroline does not play around. 

  
Eve looks over to Villanelle. She is eating an apple, completely carefree, like they’re not talking about killing. How does she do that? Constantine looks like this is everyday business to him. Kenny is the only one uncomfortable. She wonders how he ended up here.  
  
These people are obviously psychopaths who would make her do this one way or another, so she might as well say yes before it gets ugly.

-“Alright. But I’m gonna need my things, they’re still in Ostia”  
-“Consider it done. For everything else Kenny is here to assist you. He is very good at finding all kinds of information. You will also be joined by Elena, who is our eyes and ears on the streets. And finally there is Villanelle who will be working closely with you. She will execute your plan once you come up with one. I must leave you now, I have a council meeting in an hour”  
  
She shakes Eve’s hand before leaving.  
  
-“I am very pleased you decided to join us Eve. I think you and Villanelle will make a great team”  
  
-“I’m sure we will” Eve is not sure but decides to play along.  
  
Kenny leaves with Caroline, which Eve finds very odd. Constantine heads out to the garden to feed his parrots.  
  
Eve has nowhere to go.  
  
Luckily Villanelle is there to offer help.  
  
-“There is a small house at the end of the estate, you’ll stay there until we go to Londinium. I’ll have the servants bring you some fresh clothes”.  
  
She heads out but then turns around by the door. “The only reason we didn’t sleep together last night is because you were on drugs. Otherwise, I would’ve said yes”.  
  
Eve is now alone. Standing in another person’s kitchen, barefoot and half naked, wondering if her mother was right. Maybe she should have become a virgin priestess. Then she wouldn’t be in this mess.


	3. Chapter 3

  
In the west wing of Constantine’s estate there is a small room that resembles a classroom. Eve is told to wait there, her team will join her soon. Naturally, she uses the opportunity to snoop around. It’s definitely too dark for a classroom, there’s only one small window.   
The walls are covered with various maps of different regions of the Empire, many of which have pins on them. But they’re not regular geography maps. They have some mysterious numbers and symbols.She moves over to the shelves. So many books. In so many languages. They look relatively new. When Eve opens one of them she realizes that those are not foreign languages, those are codes. It’s like someone is keeping records, in a nonexistent language. Interesting.  
  
One of the books catches her eye because it has a Caduceus sign engraved on the cover.

She opens the book and finds drawings of the human body. Anatomy, circulatory system, even the internal organs. She‘s surprised since Romans are far behind the easterners when it comes to medicinal knowledge. When she reaches the second half of the book the drawings change. At first, she can’t figure out what she’s looking at. And then it hits her. Those are instructions on how to kill a person. The realization makes her wanna scream. But she doesn’t. She keeps on reading. There are drawings of decapitation, organ removal, even torture. She should put the book down. But she doesn’t. It’s like she’s hypnotized. Water boarding, strangulation, head trauma, the images roll before her eyes.  
She feels a rush of adrenaline go through her body. The images should disgust her, but they don’t. They make her feel..wide awake. She wants to see these things in real life. Maybe even try them?

She’s interrupted by the sound of door opening. It’s Villanelle.  
  
-“You shouldn’t touch other people’s stuff, Eve”  
  
-“Did you write this?” Eve is in awe in some weird way.  
  
Villanelle takes a few steps towards Eve.  
  
-“Do you like it?” She almost whispers. It’s so seductive, they way her voice cracks.  
  
-“Did you _really_ write instructions on how to kill people?” Eve tries to sound judgmental in an attempt to hide the admiration she secretly feels.  
  
-“It’s for future generations. In case they don’t turn out as genius as I am. Or in case I get..a partner” She eyes Eve from head to toe. Then she takes another step forward so she has Eve pinned against the shelves.  
  
Eve’s breathing gets heavier and deeper. Villanelle’s near proximity is making her feel so many contradict things. Like she wants to slap her and kiss her at the same time.  
Villanelle’s eyes are cat like. And she’s looking at Eve like she’s her pray. Her toy. That annoys Eve.  
But my god she smells so good. Like earth after the rain. And a touch of lavender.  
  
Villanelle pretends to grab something from the top shelf, just so she can get her body closer to Eve’s. She whispers softly into her ear “I wanna see you kill people Eve”. Eve feels the heat between her legs. Apparently talking about killing and death gets her excited. Like they’re both equally crazy.  
She puts her hand on Villanelle’s cheek. They both sigh. Their eyes are doing what their bodies are eager to do. They’re so close they can feel each other’s breaths.  
  
Unfortunately someone is at the door. They have just enough time to separate before Elena and Kenny barge in.  
  
-“Eeeeeve!” Elena squeals her name. She’s so energized, even though it’s only 8 in the morning.  
  
-“Welcome to our little group! My name is Elena and I’m here to brief you on the case and give you the materials so you can start right away. Now please take a seat while I write down the essentials for you on the board.”  
  
Eve’s still in trance so she just follows the order and settles at one of the four tables. When she sits on the chair she feels the wet puddle in her underwear. Uh, this is going to be a long day.  
  
-“I think you already know who our target is so I’m just gonna recap. Raimundus Claudius, member of the Senate and governor of Britannia. Strong ties to the military and the Roman aristocracy. Has been exploiting his province since the beginning of his mandate, which is how he accumulated enormous amount of silver. We have been getting reports lately that Raimundus wants to turn the army against the Emperor and start a rebellion with the ultimate goal of becoming the emperor himself. And that is basically why he needs to be stopped. We tried everything, but his ties to the aristocracy are too strong and nobody wants to believe he is a traitor. So we were given the task to eliminate him”  
  
-“You mean _kill_ him?”  
  
-“Well, the order came from Caroline so we don’t have much choice.”  
  
-“And how do we…how do _you_ plan on doing that?”

-“You mean _you_, Eve. How do _you_ plan on doing that?” Villanelle jumps in to correct her.  
  
-“Can I…say something?” Everyone forgot that Kenny is in the room.“Khm…So lately, uhm, I found out that Raimundus has got himself a…male companion” Kenny blushes after pronouncing that last word.  
  
-“What do you mean by that?” Elena, like the others, is confused by Kenny’s announcement.  
  
-“He…uhm…he has a lover. The man’s name is Hugo. He’s twice younger than Raimundus. He’s from a very rich family from Syracuse, but he wants to become even richer by using Raimundus. So I think that’s our only way in, Hugo is the only person in his vicinity who is not a trained soldier. If we get to Hugo, we got Raimundus”. The room is silent.  
  
-“Kenny, may I ask how you gathered this information?” Eve is fascinated by this boy’s abilities.  
  
-“I set up an informants’ network in Britannia. Each day we exchange information, whenever they find something interesting”  
-“And how do you communicate with each other? I mean Britannia is thousand miles away from Rome”  
-“I trained birds to do it. They carry messages for us. I call it…tweeting”  
-“Tweeting…interesting”  
  
Villanelle finally joins the conversation “We will get the poison on Hugo’s body. That way, when they have sex, Raimundus will swallow it and die. Eve, is there a poison that can be carried on the skin, without killing the carrier?”   
  
-“I mean I guess. But I’m not sure for how long, and it also depends on various factors if the poison will work or not”  
  
-“That’s good enough. Kenny, find out as much as you can about Hugo’s habits, domestic life, his family. I want to know everything. Elena, get me those Egyptian books about body oils.”  
She stands up abruptly and heads over to one of the shelves. “Eve, you and I need to figure out the transmission of the poison” . Finally she finds the book she’s looking for at passes it to Eve. “Read this and meet me at your place tonight so we can figure it out. Get to work people.”

Eve puts the book in her bag and heads home. She will read it after lunch.   
  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It’s a sunny day so Eve decides to go for a swim in the pool and have a few glasses of wine, after which she falls asleep. She wakes up just before Villanelle arrives.  
  
Shit, she didn’t read the book, Villanelle is going to kill her. Plus she can’t find it anywhere. This is so unprofessional, and on her first day. Someone is ringing the door bell. She has just enough time to get dressed.  
  
She opens the door and it’s Villanelle. Eve sees her without the military armor for the first time. She’s wearing a tight white dress. Her hair is down. She looks so young and so beautiful.  
  
-“My god Villanelle, you look _amazing_”  
-“Thank you, Eve”  
-“Come on in. Can I get you some wine?”  
-“Yes, that would be great actually”  
-“Have a seat, I’ll be right back”  
  
She heads to the kitchen and grabs a large goblet of wine and two cups. She also finds the book. It was in the wine cabinet. Of course.  
  
She comes back to the living room carrying wine and the book she just found. And there is Villanelle, lying on the ottoman in a very seductive pose. Her thighs are bare and her cleavage is showing.  
  
Eve’s jaw drops. Then she finally catches the title of the book.  
  
  
‘Kama Sutra’  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

  
-“Would you mind explaining what’s happening here?”  
-“We’re colleagues Eve. I came over to work, remember?”  
  
Villanelle touches herself on the thigh and gives Eve an inviting look.  
  
Eve can’t help but watch. Villanelle’s dress goes up even further. Her hand is approaching the intimate area of her body. She’s smiling viciously. This is just a game to her.  
  
Eve’s face is dead serious. She should really look away. But she can’t, just like this morning with Villanelle’s murder book. It’s the same feeling. Shock. Panic. Pleasure.  
  
-“Pervert” Villanelle chuckles. Luckily she pulls down her dress and Eve can finally breathe.  
  
Eve sits on a chair at the opposite side of the room so she can pretend to ignore Villanelle. She takes a huge sip of wine and opens the book. It’s full of pictures of sex positions. Most of them look like circus acts. She’s positive the human body can’t bend like that. Nikolas once suggested they use this book to spice up their love life but Eve found it too complicated. She’s too used to just lying there.  
  
When she gets to the end of the book she notices someone added drawings of two women doing things to each other. One is dark blond and the other has dark curly hair.   
  
-“I’ve never seen this part before”  
-“I added that. I felt the book needed…_certain aspects_”  
-“Is this you, in the drawings?”  
Pause.  
-“Yes”  
-“And who is the other woman?”  
  
For the first time, Eve sees a glimpse of uncertainty on Villanelle’s face.  
  
-“No one”  
-“You were close?”  
-“Drop it, Eve”  
Pause.  
-“Did you kill her?”  
Villanelle breaks   
-“That’s enough!”  
  
She gets up and heads to the window. Her arms are crossed and she’s looking outside into the dark. Eve can hear her rapid breathing. She should really change the subject if she wants Villanelle to stay.

  
-“When did you first kill someone?”  
  
Villanelle didn’t turn around but at least she’s willing to talk.  
  
-“I was 13….My uncle caught me stealing his gold. He threatened to hand me over to the authorities. So I pushed him into a well. He broke his neck. I punched a few bricks of the wall so it looked like an accident”  
  
-“Were you caught?”  
  
-“No. Not for that one at least.”  
  
-“Were you ever in prison?”  
  
-“A few years ago. That is when Constantine found me and offered me this job”  
  
-“And you don’t have a problem with doing what you do?”

Finally Villanelle turns around to face Eve. Her arms are still crossed.  
  
-“Why would I? I have a fun job. Lots of money. Cool house. It’s not my problem if rich people want to kill each other in a struggle for power”  
She’s more relaxed now so she pours herself a cup of wine and grabs the book from Eve. She sits next to her and focuses on reading.  
  
-“So, let’s see…what do we have here”  
-“Are we really using Kama Sutra to plan a murder?”   
-“Why not? Sex is the only way we can transfer the poison…so…let’s dig in”  
  
Eve’s mind is working at full speed. Apparently there is a part of her brain that is really good at organizing an assassination.  
  
-“From what Kenny told us we know that this Hugo guy is very very young, which probably makes Raimundus very self-conscious about his own age. Having a hot young piece like Hugo makes you look powerful, but it also makes you look old. Old can also mean weak, and you can’t have that in politics. So right now he would probably do just about anything to preserve his “youth”. Whatever magic spell, potion or cosmetic creme he can get. That’s his weak spot, that’s how we get him”  
  
Villanelle is eating her with her eyes.  
  
-“Wow, Eve. You are _very_ good at this”  
  
Eve is already on her feet and on her way to the hallway. There is a crate filled with her stuff that Caroline somehow managed to get from Ostia. She goes through it frantically and throws stuff out like it’s a life or death emergency. The crate is almost empty when she finds the box she’s looking for. She’s sweaty and her hair is all over the place, but nevermind, she found it.  
  
She holds up a little copper box like it’s a trophy. “This is how we do it. Sunscreen. You said Raimundus is a red head. Gingers tend to burn in the sun, causing the skin to develop moles and aging spots. This cream prevents that, it’s an old Chinese medicine. Selling him this would be a piece of cake. But we don’t put the poison in the first batch, because we want to gain his trust. When he sees the cream is working he will buy just about anything from us. And that is when we add the untraceable poison”  
  
Eve is smiling like she’s genuinely happy about solving the puzzle, like she didn’t just sign this man’s death verdict.

Villanelle seems emotional, her eyes are tender and her voice is smooth.  
  
-“I’m _really_ starting to like you, Eve Polastri”  
  
And Eve likes that she managed to impress Villanelle. She’s the one in control now, finally.  
  
She goes back to digging through the crate because she needs to find the recipe for the sunscreen, she needs to make more of those.  
  
That makes Villanelle feel bored, so she heads home to start packing for their trip to Londinium.  
  
-“See you tomorrow, poison lady. And don’t forget to pack warm clothes, Britannia has _the worst_ climate in the world.”  
  
\----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
**Britannia, Londinium, Mansion “****Lacha Gránna”**  
  
Villanelle was not lying, Britannia _is _the worst.  
  
Apart from throwing up on the boat, repeatedly, Eve has to put up with wind, cold and humidity. Her hair never looked worse, despite what Villanelle says.  
  
And Londinium is nothing like Rome. The people are wild, they drink way too much and she hasn’t seen a public bath yet. Where is she going to swim?

  
Villanelle is the leader of the group, because of course she is. Somehow she always finds a way to boss Eve around.  
  
On the first day Constantine is on his way to meet a general just outside the city and Kenny is checking on his ‘Tweet’ system so the women are on their own in the mansion for travelers.   
  
Elena is eager to make plans and seize the day “Alright girls, what are we going to do today? Shall we go out? I hear the mead is delicious around here”  
  
Villanelle is in her full armor resting on one of the beds. She’s looking at Eve changing clothes so she’s too distracted to hear what Elena is saying.  
  
-“I would love to go out, I need to wash down the nausea with some alcohol” Eve’s face is still green from the boat ride.

-“You girls go ahead, I need to set up some things for the operation. I might be late tonight”   
  
-“Speaking of, who is sleeping where?” Elena is checking out the beds.”I like the big bed by the window. Just in case I drink too much tonight”

That means Eve’s and Villanelle’s beds are next to each other. Eve expects Villanelle to say something. But she doesn’t. She just raises an eyebrow.  
  
  


  
Elena and Eve finally go out. Londinium is a dump, but Eve is having fun. She can’t remember the last time she did this. Unless she counts that orgy from a few days ago.   
It’s nice to hang out with someone fun and don’t think about daily problems. Maybe have a few drinks. She’s usually home with Nikolas every night listening about his Math theorems. And now she doesn’t know what the future holds for her so she doesn’t have to think about tomorrow, literally.  
  
Things get out of hand around midnight. They have so much to drink they can barely stand. Elena meets a hot young druid and leaves with him. Eve’s learning how to do a Celtic dance with some very large lumberjacks. She is not going to remember any of this in the morning.  
  
It’s a miracle she can find her way back to the mansion. When she gets to her room it’s almost 2 in the morning. She smells like alcohol and mud. She must have fallen somewhere.  
  
The only logical solution is to take off her clothes. As she strips down she sees Villanelle sleeping in the bed next to her. She looks so angelic when she‘s asleep. Almost no one could guess she’s a cold blooded assassin.  
  
Eve caresses her cheek. God her skin is so smooth. Why is everything about her so sensational? There’s a warm feeling inside her. It’s a mixture of mead and affection.  
  
She’s so drunk she trips and almost falls over Villanelle, who is awaken by the thud.  
  
-“Eve, what..what are you doing?” She’s so sleepy she can barely keep her eyes open. Let alone comprehend that a naked Eve is standing next to her bed, touching her.  
  
“Shhhh…this is just a dream, go to sleep”. Eve somehow manages to get to her bed and then just collapses on it. She’s asleep in a matter of seconds.  
  
Villanelle squints in disbelief.  
  
Then there is another thud. It’s Elena at the door. She hits every single piece of furniture on her way to the bed. She opens the window so the freezing air can come in and then falls asleep and starts snoring.   
  
Villanelle manages to get back to sleep, but she gets waken up again. There’s someone in her bed. Judging by the touch, it’s a naked woman.  
  
-“Eve…”  
  
-“It’s not Eve mate, it’s Elena”  
  
-“What? What are doing in my bed??”  
  
-“I’m sorry, but I’m cold, I needed to warm up”  
-“Then why don’t you close the fucking window?”  
  
-“I had too much to drink, and so did Eve, if I close the window that will not be good, for either of us. Trust me.”  
-“Ugh, fine. Just keep your naked arse away from me. _So rude_”.  
  
Villanelle turns away as much as possible but Elena ends up falling asleep spooning Villanelle.  
  
She smells vile so Villanelle prays to God the morning comes.  



	5. Chapter 5

**Britannia, Londinium, Mansion “** **Lacha Gránna”**

The room reeks like a provincial brothel. It’s a mixture of strong liquor, sweat and a touch of female parfume.   
Elena wakes up first. She can hardly lift her head. Someone put clothes on her while she was asleep. And she’s in Villanelle’s bed. That’s strange.  
  
-“Eve, wake up” Her voice is broken like she’s been singing or screaming all night.

No response.  
  
-“Eve, we’re gonna be late” This time she kicks her in the calf.

Eve opens her eyes. It hurts. It hurts to be awake. She closes them again.“Why are you in Villanelle’s bed?” She mumbles.  
  
-“I have no idea, I just woke up here. I hope we didn’t do anything last night. I can’t be sleeping with my boss. Not again”  
  
Eve’s eyes open. “What?”  
  
-“It has happened before. Last year, during the Lupercalia festival, there was a huge party at work. We all had a lot to drink. I woke up in Caroline’s bed the next morning”

Awkward pause.  
  
-“How was she?”  
-“_Very_ generous”  
  
Eve gets up and starts looking for something to wear.  
  
-“So you think something might have happened with Villanelle last night?” She tries to sound casual.  
  
-“Well, my groin does hurt”  
  
-“No, wait…you went home with that guy with the beard, the…the druid, remember?”  
  
-“Oh right! Yeah… we had a pretty good time. I remember coming home and being sick, so I opened the window. I was probably cold so I laid down in Villanelle’s bed”  
  
-“Why didn’t you lay with me?”  
  
-“Ugh, you smelled like a wet dog. Did you fall into a puddle or something?”  
  
The door opens abruptly. It’s Villanelle and she’s holding two cups of some hot beverage.  
  
-“Morning,_ ladies_” She has that asshole face expression. “Did you sleep well?”  
  
Elena and Eve share a look.  
  
-“It seems you had a pretty good time last night” Her sarcastic smile is definitely not a good sign. “By the way, I fed the dog. You’re welcome”  
  
Oh -oh.  
  
-“What…what dog?” Elena’s confused.  
  
-“The dog one of you brought home last night. He hauled this morning because he was hungry. The bastard woke me up”  
  
Shit. That’s why Eve smelled so badly last night. She brought home a stray dog and they obviously shared a hug or something.  
  
She has to stop drinking, these blackouts are getting out of hand.  
  
Villanelle hands her and Elena a cup of warm tea.  
  
-“Drink this, and be downstairs in 15 minutes. We have work to do. It’s stakeout time”  
  
Elena and Eve share a look again.  
  
-“So…what name should we give the dog?”  
  
\----------------------------------------------------  
  
**Port of Londinium**  
  
Today Londinium is covered with fog, which makes the stakeout twice as hard, you can barely see anything.  
  
Constantine and Villanelle are at the docks talking to fishermen and tradesmen. Seems that Raimundus is here every day, overseeing some large shipments. And a young man with curly hair and extravagant clothes is with him very often.  
  
Kenny is using his binoculars to see if there’s any sign of Raimundus’ boat on the Thames.  
  
Elena and Eve are sitting on one of the boxes in the shipyard, trying to stay awake. They brought the dog with them because he simply wouldn’t leave Eve’s side.  
  
-“Maybe we should name him Hercules” Elena finally comes up with the perfect name. ”That way he won’t feel bad for being so tiny”  
  
-“Hercules” Eve calls the small yellow dog. He barks in response.  
  
-“Ok, Hercules it is. Now let’s get something to eat, I’m starving”. She looks in Villanelle’s direction over at the docks. She’s busy talking to some guy so she probably won’t even notice if she and Elena sneak out for a bit.  
  
They find a porter house that serves quail meat from the grill. The place is very lively and many of the men are already drunk. They find a quiet place near the window so they can rest, being this hangover is really hard when you also need to work.  
  
The quail is disgusting but at least the tea is good. Eve goes to the bar to ask for more bread when she notices a young man dressed in a red tunic covered with animal fur and some weird looking leather boots. His entire outfit is strange. Her instinct tells her to approach him.  
She drops a few coins next to his feet and then reaches for them.  
  
-“Wow, those are some nice looking boots. Haven’t seen anything like that before” She hopes she sounds like she’s into fashion.  
  
-“Thank you. At least someone can appreciate them around here” He makes a disguised face, like this city is beneath him.  
  
-“Yeah, these people have horrible fashion sense” Hopefully he won’t notice her terrible wardrobe she picked this morning.  
  
-“I’m Eve by the way” She offers her hand. He shakes it. “Hugo, nice to meet you”.  
  
Yes! Her instinct was right. She should go get Villanelle. But maybe not just yet. Maybe she can handle this on her own.  
  
-“Would you like to get a drink?” She’s still sick from last night but she has to give him a reason to keep talking.  
  
-“Sure, why not”  
-“Great, let me just get my stuff”  
  
She heads back to her table and sends Elena back to the mansion to get her bag as quickly as possible.  
  
Then she goes back to Hugo and asks him where he got that beautiful ring on his index finger.  
  
Turns out, Hugo loves to talk. About himself. He’s actually pretty annoying. Eve is starting to regret this decision. Finally he asks her what she does for a living.

-“I make cosmetic products. Creams and oils mostly”  
-“Interesting…You might be of help actually. I want to take my boyfriend to Egypt but he refuses to go because his skin gets bad reactions to the sun. Do you have something that could help? I spent a lot of money on different potions but nothing works.”  
  
-“Uhm sure…” She sees Elena coming back with her bag. “As a matter of fact, I have a cream for that, let me just go get it”

She goes over to Helena and takes the bag from her.  
  
Elena whispers “I think Hercules misses you, he’s squealing outside”  
-“Go give him some of that shitty quail”.  
  
She finds the small copper box and heads back to Hugo.  
  
-“Here you go. Just have him put this on his skin in the morning. It will prevent the burning and the rashes”  
  
-“Fantastic. We’ll test it once we’re in Alexandria. Thanks!”  
-“Uhm no, you should test it right away, just to see how his skin reacts to it”  
-“Well we usually use a slave when we need to test something”  
-“It doesn’t work that way, every person has different skin. He needs to try it himself” She’s being way too pushy, but she doesn’t care, she needs to do this.  
-“Alright, tomorrow will be sunny probably, I’ll make sure he tries it. If it turns out it works I will make you rich”  
  
Eve wonders if she should take his money or that’s too immoral. On one hand, the cream _will_ protect Raimundus’ skin, but on the other hand it will kill him.  
  
Hugo snaps her out of it.  
  
-“Come to our house tomorrow night, for dinner. It’s the biggest villa across the river, you can’t miss it”  
  
He looks over to the door. Eve turns as well. There’s a red headed man standing, looking for someone across the room. He looks very rich and very important. He’s also painfully ugly.  
  
-“I have to go” He grabs the box from the table. “And thank you for this”  
  
He goes outside with the older gentleman.  
  
Eve sighs. She can’t believe that actually worked. Elena stops hiding behind a plant and joins her.  
  
-“Did you do it?”  
-“Yes, and I’m also invited to their house tomorrow night”  
-“Oh my God ,Eve, yes! I can’t believe you did it! This deserves a toast”  
  
And as they are raising their cups of mead Villanelle walks in. She’s holding Hercules and she’s pretty pissed. When she sees two of them drinking at the bar her face gets a very unpleasant look.  
  
-“Really, again? Eve, we are here to work. And I’m taking care of your dog, _again_”  
  
Eve gets up from her stool and gives Villanelle and Hercules a hug. She’s smiling, which confuses Villanelle.  
  
-“I did it, I met Hugo. I managed to persuade him to give Raimundus the cream. He also invited me to their house tomorrow night. Now all I have to do is go there and add the poison into the cream while no one is looking. And no one will suspect anything because the cream will already be tested”

Villanelle is impressed.

  
-“Good job, poison lady”. She pets the dog and talks into his ear “_Your mommy is about to kill for the first time_”  
  
Eve takes the dog from her. “Hey, don’t tell him that. I’m not killing anybody, I’m just doing what’s right for the Roman Empire”  
  
Villanelle pretends to sniff the air “Bullshit”  
  
Elena decides to stop whatever this is. “Hercules is tired, let’s just go back to the mansion, our job here is done anyway”  
  
-“Who’s Hercules” Villanelle looks around the room.  
  
Elena takes the dog from Eve and gives him a kiss on the mouth. “This little guy is Hercules. _Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy_?”  
  
-“Fine, go. I’ll stay with Constantine to set up a ride home. We leave as soon as you finish the job tomorrow night. And please, give that dog a bath, he smells” Villanelle makes an annoyed face and heads outside.

Elena and Eve stay for a bit and sit by the window, looking at the Thames. Eve’s gonna miss this city. She’s getting used to the fog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan in the next chapter, stay tuned :)


	6. Chapter 6

It’s after dark when Eve and Villanelle cross the bridge to the other side of the city. Villanelle already knows where Raimundus lives so they find his villa very easily.  
  
-“You go in, and you have a nice meal. Don’t do anything brave. Or stupid. Understood?”  
  
Villanelle points a finger at Eve. Eve finds it annoyingly patronizing.  
  
-“Ugh please, I can take care of myself”

Villanelle’s forehead wrinkles.  
  
-“If something goes wrong find a way to open the dining room window. I’ll be hiding in the bushes so I can jump in if necessary”  
  
-“Yes, general”. Eve says sarcastically and leaves Villanelle to deal with her preoccupation.  
  
Raimundus’ house is huge. And Villanelle was right, there are soldiers everywhere.  
  
She’s taken inside by a servant and was told to wait at the atrium. The place is phenomenal, so much beauty in one room seems like Raimundus likes to collect art on his conquests.  
  
Finally Hugo emerges from one of the doors, dressed in leopard’s skin. He kisses her on the cheek theatrically.  
  
-“Eve, I’m so glad you made it. Come in, dinner is almost ready”  
  
She follows him to the great dining room area. It’s even more beautiful than the atrium. There is even a small pond filled with koi fish. How did they manage to do that?  
  
Then Eve notices the redheaded man from yesterday. He’s sitting at the head of the table, looking at Eve with great interest. Again there is that excessive self confidence she noticed yesterday.  
  
-“Good evening. Welcome to my humble home” He shows Eve where to sit. “Did you have trouble finding us?”  
  
-“Uhm, no.” She takes a huge sip of wine to calm her nerves.  
-“Good. So, Hugo tells me that you are into cosmetics. Thank you for the cream by the way”  
-“Oh did you try it?  
-“No not yet unfortunately, I’ve been really busy today so I completely forgot. But will do tomorrow definitely.” He takes a long look at Eve, which she finds very disturbing.  
-“Eve how do you like the wine? We found this exquisite vinery in the Pyrenees.” Luckily Hugo is there to ease the conversation.  
-“Oh yeah it’s delicious” She finishes her glass so Hugo pours her another one.  
  
They switch the conversation to traveling and trying out different food. They all agree that Toscana has the best wines. She still doesn’t like the way Raimundus is looking at her.  
  
-“So Eve, tell me a bit more about your work” Raimundus is curious and Eve’s having a déjà vu.  
-“I…make creams and potions to protect skin from weather conditions and aging”. She empties her entire glass in one sip.  
-“How would you like to work for me?”  
-“To do…what?”  
-“To make potions…_special_ kind of potions”  
-“I’m not sure I understand” She does, which is why she’s secretly starting to panic.  
-“I need someone who is good with medicine, because I need to eliminate some people who are endangering the Empire. I need them poisoned, and you seem like the right person for the job”.  
  
Eve puts both hands on her forehead. Not again. She’s too tired for this.

A group of soldiers interrupts their conversation and hands Raimundus a letter. He gets up immediately and starts giving orders to one of the men.   
  
-“Eve you will have to excuse me, it seems that our enemies managed to achieve their goal. The Emperor has been overthrown.”  
  
He’s almost by the door when Eve remembers to ask him who did it.  
  
-“The Emperor’s adviser. Her name is Caroline. And I must go to Rome to stop her. Hugo, please start packing, we are leaving in half an hour”.  
  
Hugo is already on his feet. “Eve I’m so sorry about this. I need to go, but please finish your dinner”.  
  
Everyone left so the commotion has finally stopped. Eve is still at the dining table. Where is she supposed to go now? She almost got involved in murder, working for the enemy of the state. There’s no way she can show her face around Rome anymore.  
She feels a light draft. The window is open. Hugo must have done it earlier because he was complaining about the stuffiness.

Oh no.  
  
It doesn’t take long for Villanelle to climb in. She’s carrying a knife in her hand. The realization hits Eve. Villanelle is there to kill her. So she screams and starts running to the door. But Villanelle is faster so she grabs her and pushes her against the wall. She presses the knife to Eve’s throat. And she looks her in the eye. They are so close Eve can smell her skin.  
  
-“You should have been smarter, Eve. I really feel bad I have to kill you now” She leans in to smell Eve’s hair.  
  
Eve hates that she’s turned on by this psychopath who is trying to kill her.  
  
-“Then do it” She decides being stubborn is the only way out.  
-“I will do it”  
-“So do it”  
-“I can do it, don’t push me!”  
-“What did Caroline give you to do this?”  
-“Money. _Lots of it_”  
-“And you don’t have a problem with her causing mayhem and destroying the Empire?”  
-“Why the hell would I care? I’m not even Roman, my parents are from the Baltic” She presses the knife harder against Eve’s neck.  
-“Why did you lie to me?”  
-“I had to. Otherwise you wouldn’t have come”  
-“I thought you were different”  
-“Sorry to disappoint”  
  
Eve closes her eyes expecting the worse. She can feel the tears running down her cheeks.  
  
But nothing happens. She opens her eyes again. Villanelle looks troubled.  
  
-“Are you..ok?”  
-“I can’t do it…I can’t do it!” She walks away. “God damn it”  
  
Eve doesn’t know what to do. She did not expect this.  
  
-“So what now?”  
  
Villanelle looks broken. Her eyes are teary.  
  
-“I don’t know Eve. I honestly, don’t know”  
  
Eve looks at her, trying to decide whether she should trust her. Why can't she get away from this woman?

-“Come on”. For the first time since they’ve known each other Eve is the one leading the way. She grabs Villanelle’s hand and guides her to the window.  
-“Where are we going?”. Villanelle looks like a lost puppy.  
-“We are boarding Raimundus’ ship to Rome. And then we are going to stop Caroline”  
-“Are you insane? Eve, she is going to kill us if she sees us together. I'm supposed to kill you, remember?”  
-“Don’t worry, I have a plan. Where are Kenny and Elena?”  
-“I sent them back home this afternoon. They still don’t know what happened”.  
-“Good, we’ll meet them in Rome then. Now jump”  
They leave the estate unnoticed thanks to the chaos that ensued.  
  
Then they run to the port and hide behind an old stranded boat so they can see what’s going on. Three large galleys are being loaded with supplies and weapons. They’re planning to board one of them when they get hit in the head by a large plank. They pass out immediately. Four large men carry them to a ship just downstream. They leave them on the deck.  
  
-“Should we tie them?”  
-“Yes, tie them together. And when we get to Rome you transport them to the cell in my basement”  
-“Yes senator”  
  
Constantine looks at sleeping Villanelle and can’t help but wonder why she's ruining her life for Eve. Is her hair really that good?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are back :)

Eve wakes up in a prison cell. The first thought that goes through her head is ‘_Again, really?_’. She has always been a model citizen and now she’s incarcerated for the second time this month. Well, at least this time the bed is soft and clean. And she’s not alone.  
  
Villanelle is sound asleep next to her. She’s probably still under the influence of drugs they’ve been given on the boat. Eve should probably let her rest some more. But on the other hand, she needs someone to panic with.  
  
-“Villanelle” she whispers. No reaction.  
  
-“Villanelle”, a bit louder.  
  
She watches her sleep for a while, admiring her delicate features. She touches the small dent on her forehead wondering how she got that scar and what she was like as a child.  
  
The touch finally wakes Villanelle up. She's extremely groggy.  
  
-“Where are we? What time is it?”   
  
Her hair is all messed up and she looks so adorable Eve has to try really hard not to smile.  
  
-“Uhm I have no idea, I just woke up”.  
  
-“Were you watching me sleep?” she gives Eve a sleepy, yet mischievous smile.  
  
-“No!” Eve acts offended and gets out of bed by jumping over Villanelle.  
  
She walks around the cell. It’s quite big and clean. She can’t see much through the window because it's too-high, but she can definitely smell the pines nearby. The tiles around the window are interesting. She recognizes the pattern.  
  
-“I think we’re at Constantine’s house.”  
  
Villanelle looks around, still trying to fully wake up. “Oh yeah, I’ve been in this cell. Many years ago”  
  
Eve starts pacing around.  
  
-“What are we going to do? Caroline obviously knows we’re here and she probably wants us dead!”  
  
-“Relaaaax. If she wants us dead we'd already be dead. She wants something else from us. Probably information about Raimundus. He’s the only person who can bring her down at this point”. She yawns.  
-“So all this time Caroline was the one planning the coup and she sent us to Britannia to kill Raimundus?”  
-“Pretty much. Are you hungry? I’m starving”  
  
She finally gets up and bangs on the cell door. The guard opens it in a matter of seconds.  
  
-“Tell Constantine I want to see him. And bring us some food. And wine.”   
  
She goes back to bed and starts humming some old hymn.  
  
Her easy-going attitude is starting to piss-off Eve. “How are you so calm right now?”   
  
-“Eve I’m a professional assassin, if no one tries to kill me from time to time that means I’m not doing my job very well”  
  
Eve grunts in response and goes back to bed as well. They lie side by side.  
  
“If you could choose, where would you be right now?”   
  
Villanelle seems like she’s giving this a lot of thought.  
  
-“Londinium probably”  
  
-“Why there?”  
  
-“I like that it’s new. Like it’s a whole other world. I like the feeling of no one knowing my name or my past.”

  
-“You would like to start fresh?”  
  
Villanelle looks down like she’s about to cry.  
  
-“I’m tired of this life Eve”  
  
For a second Eve believes her.

-“You’re messing with me aren’t you”

Villanelle smiles.  
  
-“Of course. If I could choose, I would be in Athens right now”.  
  
-“Oh you like the philosophers too?”  
  
-“No I like the brothels there. Very good service. Professional”  
  
-“Ugh you’re such a pig”  
  
-“You’re the one touching people when they sleep…and I’m the pig?”  
  
Her eyes are soft all of a sudden. She gets close to Eve, and Eve has no idea how to resist her this time.   
  
Luckily someone opens the door.  
  
Two guards are there. One of them holds a sword and the other one throws a bag inside the cell.  
  
-“Here, you can have some old bread”  
  
Villanelle quickly gets up and walks over to them.  
  
-“Did you tell Constantine I want to see him?”

  
-“He’s not home, you’re out of luck. Now eat your breakfest”  
  
She gets the bag from the floor and looks inside it. Then she smiles at the guard and hits him in the head with it. The other guard tries to fight her but she takes his sword and stabs him with it. The first guard grabs her from behind and starts choking her. She drops the sword.

Eve is screaming and crying next to them.  
  
Villanelle’s face is turning blue because she desperately needs oxygen. In the corner of her eye she sees Eve picking up the sword.  
  
-“Do it”

  
-“So you _want_ me to kill you? No problem” The guard misreads the situation.

Next thing he knows there’s excruciating pain in his abdomen. He was stabbed and Eve is holding the sword. His blood is dripping from the blade. Eve is crying.  
  
He drops dead on the floor.  
  
Eve is in shock. She drops the sword and starts shaking. Villanelle looks like she’s about to have an orgasm.  
  
-“Eve, you did it. You saved me!” She hugs Eve and tries to calm her down.  
  
Eve can’t stop shaking. She’s crying so much she can hardly breathe.   
  
Villanelle slaps her.   
  
“What did you do that for??”  
  
-“You needed a surprise. You know, like hiccups.”  
  
Eve holds a hand on her cheek because her skin is burning but at least she managed to collect herself.  
  
She looks at the two dead guards on the ground.  
  
-“There’s no going back now is it?”  
  
-“No. It’s just you and me now” Villanelle gets close to Eve.   
  
She puts her hand on Eve’s chin, like she’s about to kiss her. Eve slaps her hand and steps back.  
  
Villanelle makes a step forward.  
  
Eve is quick to respond-“Don’t read too much into this. I only did it because you were in danger”  
  
Villanelle’s softness is gone. She decides to be sarcastic instead.  
  
-“Oh really? You could have punched him in the kidneys, that would stop him from killing me. Or you could have just run through the door and save yourself. But you decided to stab him. For me”  
  
Her cocky attitude is what Eve really can’t handle right now.  
  
-“For the last time, I am not like you. I am _not _a murderer!”  
  
-“Then why is that guy lying dead?”  
  
Eve looks at him again. There is something so soothing about watching blood flow on the floor.  
  
-“Don’t tell me that doesn’t turn you on”   
  
Eve’s wondering if she should finally give up and give Villanelle what she wants. Or is that what Eve wants?  
  
But the time is up because Villanelle is already leaning in and kissing her.

She’s surprisingly tender. Her arms around Eve’s waist and her scent are making Eve melt on the inside. Why didn’t she try this before?   
  
Villanelle breaks the kiss for a second. “Are you ok? Do you want me to continue?”  
  
-“Are you seriously asking me for consent?”  
  
-“Of course. I want you to feel safe Eve”  
  
-“Ugh just shut up and kiss me”  
  
They kiss passionately. Eve can feel Villanelle’s tongue in her mouth. God she is such a good kisser. Her arms are holding Eve tighter and tighter. Villanelle’s armour is between them and Eve desperately wants it gone so she tries to undo the clips on the sides. The persistence pays off and the armour falls to the ground with a thud.  
  
Villanelle presses Eve against the wall and kisses her intensely. And Eve just wants to crawl her fingers underneath her tunic and touch her everywhere.   
  
“Khm”  
  
Constantine coughs at the door.  
  
They break the kiss and Eve pulls away trying to fix her clothes.  
  
Villanelle doesn’t seem to be bothered by Constantine’s presence.

-“What do you want?” she crosses her arms annoyed by his interruption.  
  
-“Excuse me, you are in _my _house, killing _my_ guards”  
  
-“Yeah, so?”  
  
-“You do now Caroline wants you dead?”  
  
-“No she doesn’t”  
  
-“Yes, she does. You’re only alive because of me”  
  
-“Oh please, don’t even try to get out of this!  
  
-”I’m serious. She’s afraid you will betray her and start working for Raimundus”  
  
-“That’s actually a very good idea”  
  
-“Villanelle, I’m serious!”  
  
He looks worried. His eyes are sad.  
  
Villanelle is starting to believe him.  
  
-“There are two horses in the back. Take them to the port of Antium, there is a gaul departing at midnight, it will take you to Alexandria”.  
  
Villanelle’s eyes are filling with tears.  
  
-“So this is a goodbye then?”  
  
-“For now”  
  
She hugs him tight. She closes her eyes and there’s a tear running down her cheek.  
  
When the hug is over she grabs Eve’s hand and leaves.  
  
Eve follows because what else is she supposed to do.  
  


-“Are we seriously running away to Egypt?”  
  
-“Do you have a better idea?”  
  
-“…No”  
  
They find the horses near the back gate of the estate and gallop outside the fastest they can.  
  
The sun is starting to rise above the horizon as they approach noon making them both sweat excessively.  
  
-“What the hell are we going to do in Alexandria?” Eve can’t stop worrying, as usual.  
  
Villanelle smiles and says “Lots of sex probably”  
  
Eve responds with an ambiguous smile.  
  
The horses are getting tired but they push them to go further because they can already smell the salt in the air.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, thank you for reading, liking and commenting, it's been really fun writing this, I hope you had fun too. Sorry for not making this story longer (maybe I will continue writing it after season 3 when we all have withdrawls).


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